Long-billed Thrashers are not elusive birds, but they are quick and spend a lot of time deep in brush, so they can be difficult to photograph. This is my best shot to date, taken at Edinburg Scenic Wetlands and World Birding Center in Edinburg Texas. In the past I have always tried to digiscope them…using a Point and Shoot behind the eyepiece of a spotting scope, and that is particularly difficult with this active bird. Now that I am carrying the Canon SX40HS with its long zoom and useful digital tel-converter, I have a better chance of grabbing a quick shot. This bird sat long enough for a few frames…and then was gone.

Canon SX40HS at full 840mm equivalent zoom, plus 1.5x digital converter, for 1260mm equivalent. f5.8 @ 1/320th @ ISO 200. Program with iContrast and –1/3EV exposure compensation.

Processed in Lightroom for Intensity and Sharpness.

And another from the same sequence.